Time is running out for residents to weigh in on Longmont’s carbon-free transportation questionnaire, which closes in mid-July.
Launched in May, the survey asks for residents to share their habits and opinions on how the city can “promote and ensure equitable access to walking, rolling (referencing wheelchairs and other forms of inclusive pedestrian mobility), biking and electric vehicle usage, while also acknowledging the importance of public transit,” Lisa Knoblauch, sustainability program manager for the city, said in an email.
The program is referred to as the Carbon-free Transportation Roadmap, or Roadmap for short. With it, Longmont aims to “set a course for the city to achieve a 33% reduction in transportation-related emissions by 2050,” Knoblauch said. Components of the goal to improve air quality include increasing vehicle electrification and reducing single-occupancy vehicle miles traveled, according to Knoblauch.
Concerned resident Peter Adeney, otherwise known as Mr. Money Mustache, has been using his social media influence to get more people to take the survey.
With 119,264 followers on Twitter, Adeney hopes to influence the city to do more to move away from emissions-emitting vehicles.
Need your help again, #Longmont Locals: help guide our city planners.
— Mr. Money Mustache (@mrmoneymustache) June 16, 2020
This really makes a difference - in the past we have created a RECORD number of submissions and nudged a decision to keep the downtown bike lanes:https://t.co/12J0DrCli8
(took me 8 minutes just FYI)
“Longmont is still way too tilted toward all cars, all the time. We have these preposterous superhighways like Main, Hover, Nelson, Ninth, 17th, 21st and so many more that cut the city into pieces — they are hard to even get across safely and they kill people reliably every year,” Adeney said in an email. “Our Main Street is seven lanes of taxpayer-funded asphalt, entirely for cars including two lanes of free parking. There's not even a bike lane, which forces cyclists to ride on the sidewalk, and then I read about the council debating on how we can crack down on this ‘problem’ of the bikes on the sidewalks.”
The city is aware that a majority of the public transportation options in Longmont are not carbon-free. However, when residents choose public transportation options they help reduce emissions and congestion on roadways, Knoblauch said.
“Through this Roadmap, the city will be able to make thoughtful, data-driven decisions on where to invest in infrastructure, build partnerships and further encourage sustainable modes of transportation,” she said.
Although carbon-emitting transportation still dominates, the city has seen a trend of residents moving toward carbon-free choices.
“Carbon-free transportation is very much present in Longmont today and takes the form of people walking or using a wheelchair, people on bikes and driving electric cars. Recently there has been a lot of interest around electric bikes, so you may even see a few of those on our roads, bike lanes and trails,” Knoblauch said.
Through the city’s Multimodal Transportation Plan and Envision Longmont Comprehensive Plan, several projects have been identified and are underway to encourage biking, walking and the use of public transit, she said.
The plans include making biking less stressful and continuing the Ride Free Longmont program that provides free bus fare for residents. There also are four free public electric vehicle charging stations in Longmont. Another dual-port charging station purchased with a grant received by the city in 2019 will be installed at the Longmont Public Library later this year.
“Frankly, I am shocked that people are still buying gas-powered cars even here in 2020. The electric options from manufacturers like Tesla, Nissan, Chevy and a bunch of other manufacturers are just so much better and totally affordable,” Adeney said.
By the end of the year, Longmont will have replaced five gas-powered city vehicles with electric vehicles.
“We have looked at our proposed replacements through 2022 and identified potential vehicles for conversion to EVs. Unfortunately, we have to wait for vendors to market suitable vehicles that are both cost-effective and practical for municipal use. We anticipate this happening in late 2021 moving into 2022 and beyond,” Knoblauch said.
Those plans could be postponed though because of the significant impact COVID-19 has had on the city’s budget.
“The extent of those impacts remain to be seen. Regardless of the impacts of COVID-19, the city does and will continue to seek grant funding and other sources to support the implementation of sustainability-related projects and programs,” Knoblauch said.
The city is continuing its effort despite the impacts of the virus and is reaching out to residents to find better solutions to reducing local emissions. Just as Adeney did, residents are encouraged to participate and to share information with others to spread the word about the questionnaire.
“Longmont has simultaneously one of the best opportunities to create a beautiful living experience (because of our compact size and great location), and currently the loudest and most Mad Max-style car environment out of any city in the world that I have ever visited,” Adeney said. “We have so much potential if only we can start dialing back the car culture and allowing people to come out and enjoy the sunshine.”
To complete the carbon-free transportation questionnaire, click here. It also is available in Spanish.
